DC Comics

It turns out the DC Universe is home to almost as many versions of the Avengers as its Marvel counterpart!

DC and Marvel, the “Big Two” of comic book publishing, are bitter rivals – or are they? Certainly, that’s what their respective fan bases would have you believe. Take a closer look at the behavior of both publishers, and it becomes clear that the competition between them is more friendly than acrimonious.

Need proof? Look no further than the sheer number of Marvel-related Easter eggs hidden in DC stories over the years. Hardly the actions of writers and artists with an axe to grind!

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Not only did virtually every writer and artist at DC grow up reading comics by Marvel, most have since gone on to work for both publishers. As such, they tend to have as much affection for the Marvel Universe as they do for DC, and express this through subtle references sneakily woven into their stories.

It’s not just comics creators doing it, either. The creative team behind the “Arrowverse” – DC’s shared universe of TV shows – has been getting in on the act too, with shout-outs to Marvel cropping up in several recent episodes.

With this in mind, here are 20 Marvel Easter Eggs Hidden In DC Stories.

Unlike in the real world, in comics, death is rarely the end. Over the course of nearly a century of superheroics, almost every crimefighter who ever slapped on a mask or pulled on a cape has died (or appeared to die) – only to return from the grave further down the line.

Indeed, we’re at the point now where the very concept of death has lost virtually all meaning within the confines of the genre. After all, why bother getting upset over the death of your favorite do-gooder, when they’re almost certain to be back on their feet again in a year’s time?

And so it is that we find ourselves in the unusual scenario where it’s only when a superhero bites the bullet and doesn’t recover that we consider it remarkable. It’s easy to forget that this does happen from time to time. Sadly, it turns out not every hero gets a do-over. Conversely, there are some heroes that have undertaken the death/rebirth cycle so often that even their allies barely bother organizing a funeral!

With this in mind, here is a round-up of 12 Superheroes Who Died And Stayed Dead (And 8 Who Won’t Stop Coming Back).

No matter what else changed, these guys still ended up at each other’s throats!

When Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrived in cinemas back in 2016, it represented a landmark moment. Sure, both the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel had already appeared in films previously, but never before had DC’s two biggest icons – undeniably the two most famous and influential superheroes of all time – shared the big screen together.

Unsurprisingly, given the pair’s history of comic book team-ups, Warner Bros. had previously attempted to feature both Superman and Batman in the same live-action movie. Of these failed efforts, the most significant – which is to say, “bigger than a cameo” – was Superman vs. Batman, which was in development between 2001-2002.

Written by Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (with rewrites by A Beautiful Mind scribe Akiva Goldsman) and with Troy’s Wolfgang Peterson set to direct, Superman vs. Batman is at once similar and wildly different to Batman v Superman.

Although the plots of both films call for a showdown between the two legends and count Lex Luthor among the main villains, that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

It’s a real shame one of these movies never happened (and a huge blessing that the other was likewise scrapped)

Given the seemingly endless stream of comic book movies released in recent years, it’s hard to imagine that any film projects like these ever get canceled. Yet plenty are, with spinoffs the most commonly scrapped.

There are several reasons why these cinematic offshoots wind up on the chopping block so often. The most common motivation for a studio axing a spin-off is that the film which spawned it has underperformed financially.

Then there is the disappointing scenario where a character who was expected to be a break-out hit with audiences fails to impress, with their ability to carry their own solo outing appearing a lot less feasible.

And finally, there are those instances where the overall plans for a superhero film franchise change. Suddenly, a spinoff that once made perfect sense fails to align with the broader slate of scheduled films, and is either re-worked into another movie, or dropped entirely.

Whatever the reason, this means that we sometimes miss out on some potentially amazing superhero side projects – even as we dodge a few that look pretty awful! With this in mind, here are 8 Canceled Comic Book Spinoffs That Would’ve Been Bad (And 7 That Would’ve Been Great).

In many ways, the role of a superhero (or supervillain) sidekick is a thankless task. You get less recognition from the public – both in the fictional universe you inhabit, as well as in the real world – while your more famous boss hogs all the limelight.

On the face of it, sidekicks playing second fiddle makes a certain amount of sense. After all, not only is it their role to support their more experienced mentors, but sidekicks are also traditionally the less powerful element of their respective crimefighting (or crime-committing) partnership.

But that isn’t always the case. Indeed, many comic book support acts actually boast abilities and skills as impressive as those of the spandex-clad headliners they assist, if not even more so. Time and again, these poor souls struggle to escape the shadows cast by their superhero and villain head honchos – even when they finally break out on their own.

In honor of these unsung heroes (and as a tip of the hat to their villainous counterparts), we’ve pulled together this list of 16 Sidekicks Way Stronger Than Their Superheroes.Let no one ever mistake these talented guys and gals for mere human shields or cringing cronies again!

As a superhero, you could be forgiven for thinking that when you join an elite super-team like the Justice League, the last thing you need to worry about is disloyalty. After all, you’re banding together with a bunch of equally-heroic, like-minded individuals dedicated to fighting a common enemy. And yet a startling number of betrayals have taken place across the many incarnations of the League that have formed since its inception way back in 1960!

Of course, sometimes the reason for this treachery is that the Justice League member in question was suffering from the effects of mind control, brainwashing, or some other kind of mental hoodoo. But other times, their motivations are a lot more calculated – if not necessarily always badly intentioned – and are therefore a lot harder to forgive.

Indeed, one League member betraying the trust of the rest of team is always taken very seriously, and this otherwise compassionate fraternity of heroes has even resorted to expelling guilty parties from their ranks (at least temporarily). Regardless of the reason, nothing hurts worse for a crimefighter than when one of their costumed peers stabs them in the back – which is why we pulled together this list of 15 Justice League Members Who BETRAYED The Team!

However it turns out the criteria for worthiness – originally laid down by Odin – are more than a little vague. Indeed, more than a few individuals have proven themselves able to swing Mjolnir despite their apparent lack of merit, suggesting the All-Father didn’t quite think the whole thing through properly!

Time and again, the hammer has been handled by people who clearly don’t deserve its awesome power. More often than not, these superheroes and villains have gotten their mitts on Mjolnir by craftily exploiting loopholes within the wording of Odin’s spell.

Other times, their ability to utilize the Marvel Universe’s most impressive building implement is down to a dubious manipulation of physics or other elemental forces. And then there are baffling instances where someone bearing Mjolnir actually does appear to meet Odin’s standards, only to have that privilege revoked by a seemingly fickle All-Father!

No matter how it happens, all that really matters is that despite the best efforts of Thor and his Pops, occasionally Mjolnir finds itself falling into the wrong hands, which is why we’ve pulled together this list of 15 Most Unworthy People To Wield Thor’s Hammer!